


Kleines Licht

by aqd



Series: Rare Pair Week 2017 [3]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Timelines, Angst, Asian Branch, Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Long One Shot, M/M, One Shot, Second Exorcist Program, canonverse, dgm rare pair week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 22:03:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12616544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aqd/pseuds/aqd
Summary: Komui was a smart man and of course he noticed the warmth in his cheeks, the staccato in his chest, the fluttering of his stomach, but he knew better than to waste even a moment believing there was a way for this to work out. Not in their world, not in their times.And still the music in his chest didn’t stop.(Day 5 of the Rare Pair Week)





	Kleines Licht

**Author's Note:**

> Kleines Licht = German for "little light", which is another word for an unimportant person or mediocrity.
> 
> Day 5 of the Rare Pair Week: Red, Passion, ~~Excitement~~ , Love, ~~Fire~~ , Blood, Autumn  
> I would like to thank Kittybandit for hosting the week. Thank you so much!
> 
> trigger warnings: blood, gore, character death, violence
> 
> And Bak is swearing in German, because why not.

Komui Lee was a nobody. A mediocrity. One of many assistants, whose faces and names barely anybody remembered. He spent his days running errands and doing the work the people more important than him hadn’t enough time to. He logged meetings, cleaned workspaces and delivered messages. His wage was ridiculously small and he worked every day overtime, but he didn’t complain. Not even once.  
  
He worked as hard as he could. For Lenalee.  
  
One year ago everything had changed. He had lived a calm and peaceful life. Working at day with his father on the fields and listening at night to his mother, who taught him everything she learned in the two years she worked in the hospital in the city. Lenalee had been a blithe child, face full of sunlight and smiles, until everything had changed. The night of the catastrophe had been silent and rainy. He learned later that the monsters were called Akuma. Everything had been normal, until suddenly nothing was normal anymore. In the morning their parents had been dead and Komui’s feet were full of scratches and blood, because he ran the whole night with his sister in his arms through the nearby forest, in a desperate attempt to save at least one of his loved ones. He would never forget his mother’s face. Deathly pale, eyes wide.  
  
_Komui, run! Take Lenalee and run!_  
  
And then she had turned around, whole body trembling and teeth clattering, her face full of fear and her clothes full of the blood of her husband, with nothing more than an old broom in her hand. His mother, his sweet and kind mother, who barely reached his shoulder, had faced the Akuma, willingly stepping into her death to give them a chance to run. And Komui had run. The whole night, the forest only illuminated by pale moonlight, through trees and scrubs, feet, legs and arms bleeding, and desperately trying to keep Lenalee from crying.  
  
In the morning their house hadn’t been more than a burned ruin and all that was left of his parents were ripped apart clothes and grey dust. Soon they had come and in the beginning Komui was so relieved. The Black Order. Men and women, who could answer his questions, who knew what had happened in this horrible night. And then they had said words like _compatible_ and _Innocence_ and suddenly Komui had found himself held down by several hands, honestly taken by surprise, but only until Lenalee had started to cry. He had fought, kicked, screamed, bitten and finally cried, but their faces had stayed hard and in the end the only thing left of his family was dust and the slowly ceasing screams of his sister.  
  
The first weeks had been tough and only the courtesy of his neighbours had prevented him from starving. He had worked on farms and later in the city and finally he had met somebody, who knew more about the Black Order. A shopkeeper, an old and frail woman with a warm and toothless smile. Her son worked in one of the Branches and sent money on a regular basis. Komui had thanked her and only a day later he had left.  
  
Nine months ago he had reached the Asian Branch and now he spent his days with working his way up and his nights with dreaming about fire, pale faces and screams full of terror.  
  
He was a mediocrity, but he wouldn’t stay one. Hard work was his key to the Headquarters and finally to his little sister. He tried to not think too much about her, because his hands became cold every time he did and his work suffered. He pushed her aside, somewhere behind the horizon, where she hovered and sometimes sent pleasant memories, like her smile, the way she used to jump on his back, the laughter of their parents, the first time he held her and the happiness in his mother’s face.  
  
Komui did his best, even though the work wasn’t easy. Just like his superior.  
  
Bak Chang was the son of Twi Chang, who was the current Branch Chief and the most intelligent person Komui had ever laid eyes on. Komui didn’t like her son. Bak was short, arrogant, nearly as brilliant as his mother and always on the fast lane. He talked fast, he thought fast, he walked fast, he worked fast. Komui sometimes subbed for his assistant and could barely keep up with him, even though his legs were much longer. Bak had enough energy for the whole Branch and seemed to have a problem with delegating work, even though his mother started to devolve more of her duties unto him. Somehow he managed to do nearly everything himself. He was his mother’s successor without any doubt.  
  
Even though he was an unpleasant person, Komui had to admit that he was formidable, at least sometimes. They were the same age, but while Komui still fought with the foreign language English and lost track of his several tasks on a regular basis, Bak was already a leader and somehow managed to attend several meetings every day, finish his reports and still had time to proof-read Komui’s records. Afterwards he handed them back to him, the sides full of marks and notes and at the end a few points he had to work on. _Grammar!_ was always one of them.  
  
And so Komui wrote the reports again and again, asked his colleagues for help and gave them back to Bak, who flicked through them and mostly gave him just a curt nod, already thinking about the next meeting, the next decision he had to made, the next step on his steep career ladder.  
  
Another thing he didn’t like about the man was the fact that he always had to search for him. He was never at his workplace and always on his feet. Komui often needed a whole hour until he could find him in some deserted staircase, a crowded corridor, an empty lab. Bak was always busy, important, sought-after. And so in love with himself.  
  
Komui acted like he didn’t notice that Bak always found a moment to admire himself in every mirrored surface. His hair was always flawless, his face fresh as a drop of dew, his clothes fitted perfectly. Komui couldn’t deny that he was a handsome man with soft features, even softer long blond hair, long lashes and light brown eyes, but his behaviour was ridiculous. He also smiled to himself whenever he said something in a meeting or when one of his comments earned a brief nod of his mother. Bak Chang was a pretty, spoiled little prince and Komui was a polite, friendly and attentive assistant, only to be forgotten as soon as Bak’s eyes left his face.  
  
Therefore the day he accidently walked into a major bollocking by Twi Chang was delightful. Komui stopped dead and his eyes jumped over Bak’s sloped shoulders and his casted down eyes, while his mother talked insistently to him.  
  
“Bak, I expected more of you. After all the years of-” She paused and looked at Komui, who would have loved to flee, but he really needed a few signatures. So he cleared his throat self-consciously and raised his stack of papers.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he started and now Bak looked up, too. His face was stiff and he was biting his lower lip. “Could you please sign these for me?”  
  
Bak didn’t answer, but he stepped closer and Komui handed him the papers. He quickly flicked through them and put his signature under each of them. Twi waited patiently and even nodded at Komui, when he looked at her. He smiled awkwardly, but she didn’t return his smile. Instead she stayed silent until Bak handed him the documents and he finally left the room. The door was barely closed behind him, when she spoke on, voice very calm but clearly irritated.  
  
Komui went back to work, steps lighter than usual, and managed to suppress his grin until he was alone in an empty corridor. Bak’s rueful posture kept ghosting through his head and he even wondered if Bak would desist from staring into the mirror à la Narcissus for a while. Komui went to deliver the signed documents, but quickly noticed a missing signature on one of them. So he walked back and examined the closed door of Bak’s office. He stepped cautiously closer and listened for a moment. As much as he enjoyed the little prince getting scolded he didn’t want to interrupt Twi another time. The woman and her stern eyes were mildly terrifying. So he strained his ears and when he heard nothing he knocked softly. Silence.  
  
Bak was probably already back on his feet and wandered through the Branch. Komui sighed and leaned against the wall. Great. Now he had to track him down and probably waste another hour of his life while doing so. He was already half through the room, when his eyes set on the restroom. He placed his documents on one of the desks and stretched his back before he pushed the door open. Only to falter.  
  
Bak had apparently not gotten back to business as usual. He was crying.  
  
Komui froze and stared at him and Bak stared back. His eyes were reddened and he had toilet paper in his hands. His shoulders were still sloped and a deep frown sat on his face. He blinked, before casting his eyes down, wiping his cheeks and blowing his nose. Komui had expected absolute everything, even a hissy fit, but no tears. He opened his mouth only to close it immediately a few times and finally Bak looked at him once more.  
  
“Don’t stand in the door. Come in,” he said evenly, threw the crumpled toilet paper away and examined his face in the mirror, before sighing. “Scheiße.” Komui frowned, but then he spotted the red dot on Bak’s face. And then another, another, another.  
  
“Um,” he said and stepped closer. “Do you need…?”  
  
“No,” Bak answered brusquely. “I always get hives when I’m stressed. I’m gonna lie down some time, I guess.” He sighed and stepped back. “When somebody asks, please just tell them that I have a headache or something.”  
  
“Um.” Komui stepped out of his way and shot a look over his shoulder. “I need a signature, before you leave. Okay?” he added, because Bak frowned at him and for a moment he looked awe-inspiringly like his mother.  
  
“Okay,” he said after a moment and Komui hurried away to get the documents. Bak waited by the door and put his signature on the paper he had forgotten before and then he turned around. Komui looked after him and frowned softly.

  


Both of them acted like Komui never walked in on Bak and only a day later Bak was as arrogant, self-regarding, brilliant and fast as before. His shoulders weren’t sloped anymore, his eyes not reddened and his skin free of any blemishes. Komui did his daily work, ran errands, rewrote reports repeatedly and chased after him to get signatures. Bak still didn’t note Komui more than before, but at least he seemed to remember his name.  
  
“Lee.” Komui looked up from his paperwork and there he was. Bak stood in the door and leaned casually against the frame. “The recorder is sick and I have a meeting in three minutes. Grab something to write and follow me.” He turned around without waiting for him and Komui had to run to catch up to him. Bak was already two flights of steps above him, despite his short legs. They were held up repeatedly and when they finally reached the hall everybody was already seated and waiting. Bak sat down on the last free chair, right at the head of the table, and cleared his throat.  
  
“Apologies for the delay.” He looked at Komui and nodded towards the wall to his right and so Komui leaned against it and raised his clipboard. Bak declared the meeting open and Komui started to write. Thanks to Bak’s steady comments about his grasp of language Komui spent the last weeks with practicing with the help of his co-workers. Bak was still too fast for him, jumping from one point of the agenda to the next, and Komui’s notes looked horribly, a mess of misspelled English words and Chinese characters, but at least he kept pace. The upside of Bak’s speed was that they finished the meeting way quicker than expected and soon they were on their way through the corridors, Komui right behind Bak, who shot a look at his watch and started to run. Komui had no idea why they were running, but since he had no other option he put the clipboard under his arm and followed Bak, whose long ponytail moved from one side to the other. They chased down a few flight of steps and Komui needed some time to understand that they were running towards the dining hall.  
  
“Um,” he started and Bak darted a look over his shoulder.  
  
“Do I look like I have time for a queue?” he asked with a frown and Komui slowed down. He held his aching side and watched Bak disappearing into the dining hall. Komui sat down on a step and started to write a fair copy of his notes since he wasn’t eager to hand Bak his chaotic mess of English and Chinese. Bak need only a few minutes and then he pushed the door open and Komui barely had time to catch the snack Bak threw at him. His clipboard fell down and a few papers flew around.  
  
“Thanks?” he said startled and Bak had already passed him, the arms full of snacks. His only answer was a wave of his hand. Komui jumped to his feet, collected papers, nearly dropped the snack and followed him. “Do you… do you still need me? Or can I…?”  
  
“I need the record by tonight,” he answered without turning around and disappeared through a door to Komui’s left. Komui blinked, classified this as a no and quickly walked upstairs, because his errands were already waiting.

  


Sometimes Bak needed him several times a day, other times he didn’t pay any attention to him for a week. Komui did his work, practiced his English and volunteered for as many tasks as possible.  
  
A few days later he was walking down a deserted staircase and looked at his to-do list, when suddenly quick steps resonated behind him. Komui barely managed to dodge and then Bak was already flying past him and down the stairs. He shot a look over the banister with a frown and watched him chasing down and towards the wall right next to the stairs, before he barely touched it with his fingertips, turned around in a swift motion and ran upstairs, always taking two steps at once. Komui thought for a moment about asking what the hell he was doing, but then he noticed his outfit. Other than usually he wasn’t perfectly dressed. Instead Bak was wearing shorts, a loose tank top and had his hair in a very messy bun. He ran past Komui, whose eyes jumped over flushed cheeks, loose strands of hair sticking to his forehead and a naked shoulder, because Bak’s shirt kept slipping down. Komui leaned against a wall and listened to hectic steps going all the way up, at least five stories, and then back down. Now he finally understood how a short man like Bak could ran the whole day without getting tired.  
  
Bak stopped with squealing soles as soon as he saw Komui still standing at the same place as before. “You need something?” he asked breathlessly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear.  
  
“Um,” Komui answered startled and shook his head. “No, I was just-”  
  
“Okay,” Bak cut him off and then he was back at running. Komui looked after him another moment, before he decided that it would be too awkward if he still stood in the same place the next time Bak passed by and so he walked downstairs. Bak came his way a last time and they locked eyes for a short moment. Then he was gone and Komui listened to his quick steps until he walked through a corridor and they were drowned out by the murmur of a building full of people.

  


Twi Chang was more and more occupied with different experiments and so Bak undertook more of her duties. Komui wasn’t important enough to know what her unit was researching. He only knew that Bak’s father Edgar was also part of it. Edgar was a lot kinder than his wife and his son. He even showed Komui the building at his first day. But he didn’t see him often in the last weeks, probably because of his work.  
  
Bak started to delegate more work, because he had to, even though he visibly disliked it. Komui assisted him now nearly every day and even stepped in for him a few times and took part in different meetings, while another mediocrity had to minute.  
  
He undertook more responsibility and with every day the Headquarters - and Lenalee - came a step closer. Komui barely slept, drank too much coffee and worked nearly round the clock. When he slept, he dreamed more often of her, but this time without dust, screams and blood, but with light-hearted laughter, shining brown eyes and dark pigtails fluttering in a breeze.

  


His errands led him to the most secluded places of the Branch. Empty corridors full of thick grey dust and huge cobwebs. Dark cellars only dimly lit by flickering light bulbs. And to the section of the building with the laboratories. Other than the researchers he wasn’t allowed to enter the section, but he delivered messages and documents to the closely-guarded gate and sometimes, mostly when he was in another underground part of the building and close to a ventilation shaft, he heard silent, barely audible sounds. Often screams.  
  
He once talked with Bak about it in one of their short breaks, when they incidentally met in the dining hall and Bak had enough time to sit at least five minutes down, instead of eating while hurrying to his next meeting.  
  
“Lee,” Bak said very evenly and Komui fell silent. Bak took his time to take a napkin, wipe his mouth and sip his tea. “You want to climb the career ladder, right?”  
  
Komui raised his brows and nodded. Bak examined him a long moment, before his eyes wandered aside and over the people on the tables around him.  
  
“Then you should stop asking those questions,” he simply said and looked once more at him. “Got that?”  
  
Komui inhaled deeply and put his chopsticks down. “Yes.”  
  
“Good,” Bak answered and his voice sounded kinder than before. He put his empty bowl and cup on Komui’s tray and got up. “When you’re finished you’ll find a stack of notes on my desk. I need the report by tomorrow, okay?”  
  
“Okay.” Komui looked up to him and Bak gave him a short nod, before he turned around and left with quick steps.  
  
The fact that he wasn’t supposed to know more about the experiments made it even more fascinating. But there was a goal he had to reach and would never put at risk. That didn’t stop him from thinking from time to time about the experiments and strain his ears whenever he was underground, but he didn’t talk about it all together.  
  
He didn’t know yet that he would get his answer in all of its extent and horror in the end.

  


The first incident, which unveiled at least a part of the mysteries of the experiments, happened about four months later. Komui had started to delegate more and more of his errands and now he worked mostly on reports, secretly hoping that he would be soon one of those, who collected the data for the reports. He worked hard, his English was by now a lot better than before and his superiors started to remember his name.  
  
It was a cool evening after the first free day since his arrival. He spent the day outside with a few co-workers, taking long walks amidst colourful foliage, a chilly breeze and fine rain. In the evening they sat in the dorm room and played cards, while Bak flew from time to time past the door with the arms full of documents. Later he stopped and politely knocked at the open door.  
  
“Lee?” he asked and Komui got up and walked towards him. He was already in his pyjamas, while Bak still looked fresh as a daisy, even though Komui knew that he didn’t sleep in two days. His face was unblemished aside from pale circles under his eyes. “Sorry to bother you on your free day.” Komui wanted to answer that it wasn’t a problem, but Bak was already speaking on. On the fast lane, like always. “I can’t find the report you said you put on my desk.”  
  
Komui frowned softly and tilted his head. “I laid in the top most drawer.”  
  
Bak raised his brows. “Not on top? Why?”  
  
“Because you asked me to after the stack fell down two weeks ago,” Komui answered calmly and Bak blinked.  
  
“Oh.” He stepped back and started to turn. “I see. Maybe I should go to sleep soon.” He laughed and shot a look over his shoulder. Komui stared at him and all of a sudden his face started to feel hot to his displeasure, but Bak was already half around the corner and probably didn’t even notice. He stood there for another second, slowly blinking, and laid his cool hands on his cheeks to chase the blush away.  
  
It wasn’t the first time he had seen Bak laughing, but normally it wasn’t more than an arrogant snort and not genuine laughter, accompanied by glinting light brown eyes and dimples. Komui took a deep breath, before going back to his co-workers.  
  
A few hours later he was already half-asleep and listened to the snoring of one of his co-workers. His thoughts wandered to Lenalee and he sighed soundlessly, because he missed her so much. He tried to not think about her and concentrated on the sounds around him. Snores, rustling of bed linen, a single cough.  
  
And then a siren.  
  
Komui sat up straight only a second later and the red lights above their heads started to flash.  
  
The signal for evacuation.  
  
Komui jumped out of his bed, slipped into his shoes and quickly put on a pullover, before moving towards his co-worker, who was standing on her bed and moved her arms frantically. In his first week Komui was assigned to an evacuation group in case of an emergency and his co-worker was the leader of said group. They needed only one minute, maybe two, and then the group got in line to slowly move towards one of the exits. They trained at least once per month for situations like this and it was the second time they had to use their knowledge in a real emergency. The first situation had been a fire in one of the labs underground two weeks after Komui’s arrival.  
  
Everything went according to the evacuation plan, until it suddenly didn’t. Komui had barely time to turn his head when he heard the first screams. Somebody grabbed him and dragged him down. Only a moment later something flew by, right above his head. Komui jumped to his feet, grabbed the hand of the co-worker, who pushed him down beforehand, and together they ran. Somebody behind them started to scream, panicked and long-drawn-out, until they fell silent with a horrible sound, coughing and gurgling, and that was the moment Komui started to panic. His co-worker let go of his hand and fled through the hall, while Komui ran towards one of the emergency exits.  
  
People bumped into him, he lost his footing more than once and the sounds behind his back got louder and louder. The creature was completely silent. It didn’t scream, it didn’t growl, but the sound of several feet on wet floor came closer. The smell of blood reached Komui’s nose, together with another scent and suddenly he was back home. He was standing in the ruins of their house, Lenalee cried in his arms, and all that was left of his parents were ripped apart clothes and dust.  
  
He stumbled over a pair of legs and landed on his chest, pressing all air out of his lungs. Komui gasped for air and turned over onto his side. And froze.  
  
The creature stood right next to him, huge and dark, no face, but many legs and long claws. Several tubes were attached to it, some ripped out. The logical part in Komui’s head ordered him screamingly to run, but his legs didn’t move. The smell of blood and antiseptic lay heavily on his lungs and suddenly he had to think about Lenalee, his poor little Lenalee, who waited for him and who would never see him again. The creature stepped closer and Komui closed his eyes, hid his face behind his hands and held his breath. Something brushed his shoulder, but there was no attack, no pain, no eternal darkness.  
  
Instead there was a voice.  
  
Komui’s eyes snapped open and there he was. Bak stood over him, eyes set on the creature and one hand raised. Something dripped warmly on Komui’s forehead and stained his fingers red. It was blood.  
  
There was a symbol in Bak’s hand, carved into the skin and bleeding heavily.  
  
He didn’t grasp what Bak was saying, but he quickly understood that the words were the only reason he was still unharmed. The air was crackling, white sparks illuminating between Komui’s fingers, Bak’s hair, the creature’s claws. Bak only wore pyjama pants and a wide dressing gown, which billowed around him, swirling around his legs, long sleeves pushed up by a strong breeze. His hair was loose and moved around his shoulders and nestled to his slim face and for a moment Komui forgot everything. He forgot the creature, the blood under his fingers, the sister he probably was never going to see again. All that was left was Bak and his light eyes, the sparks between his pale lashes, his hair.  
  
Then the building started to shake and Komui was back in the here and now. Twi stood in one of the doorways, still in her lab coat. She had the same bleeding symbol in her hand. The ground was shaking and pale flashes erupted between her fingers, hit the walls, cracked the tiles on the floor. The air in Komui's lungs started to vibrate and he moved backwards without noticing. Together with her son she kept the creature at bay, until finally the steps of dozens of feet resonated and a group of Crows flew around a corner and took over. Medics appeared out of thin air and looked after the injured workers.  
  
Komui exhaled slowly and looked up to Bak to thank him, only to jump to his feet a moment later. Bak swayed for another second, face pale and eyes dull, and Komui managed to catch him by the skin of his teeth.  
  
“Bak!” Twi ran towards them and Komui made immediately room for her. She fell down on her knees and another pair of hectic steps announced Edgar.  
  
“Mein Junge!” he said worriedly and took his son’s hand, who smiled tiredly at him.  
  
“Just a little dizzy,” he whispered and darted a last look at Komui, before he closed his eyes.

  


They needed the whole night to clean up and when Komui finally had time to rest, he couldn’t sleep a wink. They hadn’t gotten any answers and rumours travelled fast. There wasn’t a doubt that the creature was the spawn of one of the experiments and Komui lay wide awake, stared at the wall and couldn’t stop wondering what his superiors were doing underground.  
  
Bak kept sneaking into his thoughts, hair and clothes billowing wildly and eyes burning. Komui squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face in his pillow.

  


Two days later Bak was as busy as usual. He chased through the building and Komui needed the whole morning, until he finally managed to get a hold of him.  
  
Bak was already half through the door without noticing his voice and so Komui summarily reached for his upper arms and turned him around. Bak looked startled up to him, before his face softened.  
  
“Oh, Lee,” he said and Komui’s eyes jumped over his pale face and a thin strand of blond hair stuck to his lashes. Bak moved slightly and Komui noticed how painfully tight he had closed his hands around his arms and stepped back immediately.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he said and Bak didn’t answer, instead he tucked the strand of hair behind his ear and examined him. “Thank you.”  
  
Bak knew immediately what he was talking about and just shook his head slightly. “That’s my family’s duty,” he answered and Komui noticed how stiffly he was holding his hand. He seemed to be in pain. Komui hesitated, before he reached out and carefully took his hand. Bak didn’t draw back, but he frowned softly and examined him without a word. The wound was still healing, thin swollen lines surrounded by reddened skin. Komui turned his hand gently in his own and now he saw the scars. Pale lines, dozens of them.  
  
Bak’s fingers twitched slightly and Komui felt his face heating up and let go of him. “Sorry,” he said once more. Bak didn’t answer and they looked at each other for another long moment, before Komui smiled tentatively at him, still painfully aware of the heat on his cheeks. Bak’s eyes flitted aside and he opened his mouth, before closing it. Komui casted his eyes down and started to laugh silently, because he apparently not the only one embarrassed. Bak cleared his throat and took his clipboard from one hand into the other, before he looked once more at Komui, whose smile slowly disappeared. He stepped closer, while Bak didn’t move an inch and just looked up to him, head softly tilted and lips slightly parted. Komui reached out cautiously and his fingers brushed over Bak’s cheek, who didn’t stop looking at him, a hint of heat slowly creeping over his cheeks.  
  
“Is it just me or is the atmosphere kinda weird right now?” a voice resonated all of a sudden. A young girl leaned casually right next to them against the wall and Komui nearly screamed, because she appeared out of nowhere. “Bak, I think I see hives on your face.”  
  
“Verdammt nochmal, For!” he hissed embarrassedly and stepped back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And now leave.”  
  
She raised a thin brow, shot a look at Komui’s rosy cheeks and slowly nodded. “Yeah, not weird at all,” she commented with a snort and disappeared back into the wall.  
  
“What was that?” Komui asked with wide eyes and Bak sighed.  
  
“That was For. Don’t ask,” he added and stepped back. He laid a hand over his flushed cheeks and closed his eyes for a moment. “Great, and now I’m breaking into hives.” He rolled his eyes and shot a look at Komui. “Don’t look so embarrassed. She’s always like this.” He examined the wall she disappeared into and frowned. “Even though she’s kinda weird in the last weeks.”  
  
Then he turned around and was already behind the next corner, before Komui had the chance to say something.

  


The next days were shaped by Bak’s tries to avoid him and failing miserably, causing him to repeatedly breaking into hives and fleeing to his quarters. Komui had to visit him once, because he needed a signature and it took all of his might not to laugh, because Bak laid seemingly on his deathbed, while Wong danced around him like a mother hen and shooed Komui away as soon as he had his signature. Bak looked long-sufferingly at him and got a few more hives.

  


Twi was less and less seen. Bak undertook almost all of her duties, while she spent her days underground. Komui saw her very rarely in the dining hall and once in a corridor. Edgar seemed to work as hard as his wife, even though Komui saw him often talking to his son, who seemed worried, because of his father’s pale cheeks.

  


A few days later Bak needed him in a meeting and even though a lonely hive bloomed on his cheek, he was all professional and Komui had no idea what to think about it. On the one hand he was relieved, because he did cross an invisible boundary the moment he touched him. Also there were no words to explain why. Or at least no words anybody was willing to use. Komui was a smart man and of course he noticed the warmth in his cheeks, the staccato in his chest, the fluttering of his stomach, but he knew better than to waste even a moment believing there was a way for this to work out. Not in their world, not in their times.  
  
And still the music in his chest didn’t stop.

  


Komui kept working as hard as he could and finally one of his superiors took him aside and informed him that his promotion was in debate. The gate underground would soon open to him. A step closer to his sister. But there was no happiness, just suspense and a hint of relief that his hard work slowly paid off.  
  
Happiness came a few days later and completely out of nowhere. It was the day Komui noticed that Bak looked at him, short glances and long gazes, whenever he thought Komui wouldn’t notice. But Komui did notice and for a moment his heart started to dance, but happiness disappeared as soon as it had emerged, because he did all this for Lenalee and he couldn’t afford to lose sight of his goal even for a moment.

  


They sometimes locked eyes, always only for a moment and always Komui was the first one to cast down his eyes. Until he noticed one day immediately that something was wrong.  
  
The frown on Bak’s face was barely visible, but his whole posture was less energetic than usual. Komui wanted to brush past, because he had to attend a meeting, but he didn’t had the heart to. Bak’s eyes snapped up to him as soon as he stopped and Komui had to take a step back, while he haphazardly wondered if Bak had always smelled like this. Ink, tea, something sweet. He swallowed dryly and Bak raised a brow.  
  
“Are you okay?” Komui asked and Bak wasn’t the only one surprised by how soft his voice was. “Chang,” he added therefore and almost had to laugh about how ridiculous and easy to see through his attempt was. Bak didn’t turn a hair, but his eyes flitted aside for a very short moment, before he looked back at Komui and shook his head softly. Only now he noticed the faint bruise on his temple.  
  
“I… I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see,” he said slowly, before exhaling deeply. “I’m perfectly fine.” He nodded at Komui, who nodded back, even though nothing was fine and they parted company.  
  
Komui acted like he didn’t notice the short glance Bak darted over his shoulder right before he turned around a corner.

  


The day of the catastrophe started like an ordinary day. Komui got up and after a quick breakfast he talked to his subordinates, who now ran his errands. The day got a little unusual around noon, after a few hours of work, when a co-worker asked him to assist her in the archive in search of an important document, which was nowhere to be found. Komui had still a lot to do, but it was the same co-worker, who had pushed him down the day the creature escaped the lab and so he helped her. They spent hours between dusty stack of files and unsorted papers.  
  
The archive was quite secluded, located under abandoned parts of the building. Empty corridors, deserted halls. The walls were thick and the only company were tiny mice, flitting from one hideaway to the next. Komui and his co-worker searched, talked and laughed and hours passed.  
  
The walls were thick enough to keep all sounds out.  
  
Wet sounds of a blade diving though flesh. Blood splattering against the walls. Screams, begs, tears. Gurgling and coughing. The sounds of hands hitting against the gate. Bak’s screams and pleas.  
  
_Please let me in, For. Please. Please open the gate. For, please. Please. Let me in, For. Please. Why? Please. For, I command you, let me in. My parents. I have to get to them. For, please. Please. For. I thought we were friends. Please._  
  
_Please._  
  
_Please._  
  
_Please._  
  
Renny Epstain, sitting on the floor and crying hysterical, a sound, which can only be described as wailing. A blade cutting through a palm, wet hands hitting once more against the gate, Bak’s screams and pleas. His tears.  
  
Anxious and panicked steps.  
  
And the voices of two children. Abysmal and drowning. Fighting, even though they never had anything besides each other. Bodies getting ripped apart and healing. Again and again. Horror and dread. And finally only one voice. Screaming and screaming and screaming.  
  
_I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Alma. I’m sorry._  
  
Light steps in pools of blood. The bitter laughter of a deity, a goddess, who wasn’t allowed to fulfil her duty. Tears. The recovery of body parts. Ice cold hands joining. The destruction of the lab, the dark cradle of two dead children, one cold and hacked into pieces, the other warm and still screaming.  
  
And finally a gate opening and the cries of an orphan, kneeling in blood and desperately trying to shake his parents awake, who had the responsibility for yanking those, who fought so bravely, out of the darkness, again and again.  
  
Komui and his co-worker heard nothing. They kept searching and joking. And finally they found the document, right under the first stack Komui went through. She called him a blindworm and they laughed heartedly, while walking through empty corridors and evading cobwebs.  
  
Mirth disappeared as soon as they saw the first ashen faces and soon Komui became one of them. He started to run, moved through his colleagues, brushed past Crows, only to stop dead as soon as he saw Bak.  
  
Now Komui finally understood how much Bak took after his mother. The tears clinging to his lashes and the blood on his clothes were still wet, but he was already issuing orders, directing medics and talking insistently to Wong, who didn’t even try to hide his tears. Komui didn’t approach him, instead he supported his co-workers, managed to calm Renny down at least a little, did everything he could to help Bak, who slowly started to lose his balance. His orders were less clear, his hands started to shake and the fine drops on his lashes grew. Komui wanted to go to him, take him aside, get him fresh clothes, but suddenly everyone around him fell dead silent.  
  
A child, escorted by two Crows. The crowd made immediately room for them and they moved across the hall. The boy led the way. He took one step after the other, painfully slowly and carefully, like he feared he could shatter with a wrong move. His dark hair clung wet and heavy to his face, leaving behind streaks of red. His clothes were soaked in blood, slowly starting to congeal. But all of this wasn’t remotely as haunting as his eyes. Dark and empty like well-shafts. They were set on something only he could see and now Komui understood the extent of the atrocities, which happened under the charge of the Chang family. Komui’s eyes wandered on their own to their last spawn and he started to move. Bak had placed a hand over his mouth and Komui knew that he couldn’t last any longer.  
  
The boy’s eyes jumped towards him, when he crossed his path and for a moment Komui was taken aback by the endless rage, which emerged out of the nothingness and illuminated the child’s pale face. They locked eyes and Komui had to look away.  
  
He reached Bak and took his hand. He startled and looked up to him. “Come,” Komui mouthed and pulled Bak with him, whose hand was cold and effete in his own and the cuts on his palm still bleeding. Bak followed him for a minute, but when they reached an empty corridor, he suddenly stopped.  
  
“Lee,” he said and his voice sounded hollow. “I have to take care of everything.” He did a step back, but Komui didn’t let go of his hand. “I have to…” Bak was so pale Komui worried he could faint any minute. The only colour on his skin were dots of blood, probably his own. His hands were covered and he didn’t seem to notice.  
  
Komui stepped closer and laid a hand on his cold cheek. “Bak,” he said softly and that was enough to let Bak crumble in front of him. He stumbled back, inhaling deeply, breath going too quick, and Komui made room for him. “Bak,” he repeated as silently as before.  
  
“Lee.” Bak started to sway and Komui grabbed his upper arms to keep him from falling. “Lee.” He curled his ice cold hands into Komui’s lab coat, eyes jumping over his face, the wall, the stains of red his hands left behind. “Lee…” And finally he fell apart. Komui wrapped his arms around him and Bak cried against his shoulder, light brown eyes squeezed shut and face twisted in misery. “They’re… both of them are… Lee, they’re dead.”  
  
“I know.” He rubbed his back helplessly and held him close. “Bak, I’m so sorry.”  
  
Bak’s knees gave out and Komui reacted without hesitation. He picked him up, opened the closest door with his foot and then they sat together on the floor, Bak half on top of him, alternating between desperate sobbing and screaming his grief into Komui’s stained lab coat. Komui buried his face in Bak’s hair and tried to stay calm, to be as steady as a rock, but failed miserably. In the end he cried with him while thinking about his own parents and Lenalee, who was so far away and all alone.  
  
After a while, maybe minutes, maybe an hour, Bak moved away from until they weren’t touching anymore and he could lean against the wall, before he wiped his face with his sleeve. Komui’s eyes wandered over his sloped shoulders, his blotchy cheeks, reddened eyes and pale face and for the first time he looked just incredibly tired. All his energy had disappeared somewhere between blood and dread. He inhaled deeply and then he looked at Komui, who tried to give him a comforting smile.  
  
“Do you feel better?” he asked and examined Bak, who didn’t answer immediately.  
  
“Less strained,” he answered and examined his hands and clothes. He squeezed his eyes shut and suppressed a gag. “Oh god.”  
  
Komui jumped to his feet and held his hand out. “Come. You’ll take a shower and I’ll get you clean clothes, okay?”  
  
Bak didn’t answer, but he took his hand. He let go as soon as he was on his feet and followed Komui in silence, heavy steps resonating from the bald walls. Soon they reached Bak’s quarter and the door was barely closed when he started to strip. Komui turned away, opened a drawer in search of clean clothes and found a shirt and a soft pair of pants.  
  
Bak didn’t need long. He washed himself, hands hectic and rough, until his skin was red and tingling and the water running down his legs finally clear. He slipped into the clean clothes and Komui’s eyes jumped over his legs, chest and loose hair, before he looked away. Bak blew his nose and examined his face in the fogged mirror.  
  
“Lee?” he asked and Komui looked up.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“What’s your first name? I always forget. It starts with a K, right?” Bak examined the hives on his naked arms and sighed soundlessly.  
  
“Komui,” he answered and now Bak looked at him, before he stepped closer and frowned softly.  
  
“Komui… Thank you.” His voice became tight and Komui thought, he would start to cry, but he blinked a few times and inhaled deeply. “Can you do something for me?”  
  
“Everything,” Komui replied without missing a beat and for a moment there was a hint of warmth in Bak’s eyes. Then something snapped close behind them and the way he looked at Komui reminded him of Twi.  
  
“Please inform Wong to prepare the ceremony.” He stepped back to tie his wet hair up, hands antsy and restless.  
  
“Ceremony?” Komui examined him, before he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear.  
  
“I’m now the Head of the family Chang,” he answered and for a moment his voice trembled. “And the Chief of the Branch.” He took a deep breath. “And now I have to take care of Yuu and the funerals.”  
  
“Yuu?” Komui stepped aside to make room for him and Bak stopped, the hand already on the door handle.  
  
“The child,” he answered without turning around and then he was gone.

  


Bak’s eyes stayed reddened and heavy, but he didn’t rest and even took part in the recovery of the bodies. So did Komui. He could barely endure the disgustingly sweet smell of copper, laying thickly on his lungs and making it hard to breathe, but he still didn’t stop. No one of them did. They all wore overalls and their faces were hidden behind heavy pieces of cloth. Bak was easy to spot, mainly because of his size, partly because of his frantic steps. Komui paused for a moment and watched him. He was on his hands and knees and scrubbed the floor, water reddish and foamy and soaking his overall. His parents were already in the morgue, where Wong was cleaning and preparing them for the funeral, together with Zu Mei, who kept crying and crying and crying.  
  
Bak was crying, too. Mute tears ran over his face and blond hair stuck to his cheeks, but just like his mother it didn’t stop him from fulfilling his duties. He had barely scrubbed blood from his hands and then he was already back on his feet, running from one end of the Branch to the other, taking care of everything, talking with the Headquarters and Central, looking after For, who refused to show herself and hid in the gate.  
  
Komui didn’t sleep in this night. Nobody did. His co-workers were whispering to each other, cried or kept working and more than once he saw Bak flying past the door, hands full of documents and often followed by Wong, who had something to eat in his hands. But Bak didn’t eat. He didn’t sleep, he didn’t talk more than necessary and finally he didn’t cry anymore. The circles under his puffy eyes were dark and his cheeks pale, but he kept going and going. Komui tried to talk to him, but Bak did barely notice him, already thinking about the next thing he had to do, organize, take care of.

  


The funerals were terrible. Bak stood in front of them and delivered sermons for each person, who lost their life. He spoke about accomplishments, anecdotes, dreams and hopes. Komui had no idea that he knew everybody of them so well and finally it dawned on him that Bak, the little spoiled prince, aloof and arrogant, cared for all of them. He managed to keep his voice calm and steady the whole time, until he started to talk about his parents. His voice cracked, but just like his mother, he kept talking until he reached his final line and when he left the room, he held his head high.  
  
Komui followed him and caught up to him right before Bak wanted to enter his quarters. Bak looked at him, eyes slowly spilling over, and Komui stepped closer.  
  
“I would do everything for you. Remember?” he asked and Bak started to smile and cry at the same time and pushed his door open. He held it open for Komui, who followed him. The door clicked shut and locked out the sterile white light of the hallway. The only source of light was a candle next to Bak’s bed, bathing the room in a soft and warm yellow. Bak looked up to him and examined him for another moment, before he stepped closer and leaned his head against Komui’s chest. He wrapped his arms around him and with a soft sigh Bak laid his hands on the small of Komui’s back. The coldness of his skin crawled through his shirt and Komui started to rub his back to warm him up. Bak felt small and skinny in his arms and Komui turned his face to hide it in his hair. They stayed like this for a while, maybe a minute, maybe ten, before a soft knock caused both of them to step back.  
  
“That’s Wong,” Bak said very calmly and wiped his cheeks. “The ceremony starts in an hour and I have to prepare.”  
  
“Okay.” Komui examined him and cleared his throat. “Is there something I can do for you?”  
  
“I have to talk about something with you afterwards,” he answered and pulled the tie out of his hair. His hair looked golden in the candlelight.  
  
Komui nodded and then they held each other for another moment, before Bak opened the door for Wong and Komui left.

  


The ceremony took place behind closed doors, but music, slow and haunting, crawled through the empty halls. Komui lay in his bed and listened for hours. It was very silent in the dorm room, but nobody seemed to sleep. Deep into the night the music fell finally silent and Komui got up. He walked through dimly lit corridors, until he reached Bak’s quarter, but nobody answered his soft knock. And so he waited until he heard steps and Bak walked around a corner. Komui drew himself up without noticing.  
  
Bak was enshrouded by a sea of silk, white and blue. His steps were drowned out by the sound of soft fabric brushing over the ground. He faltered for a moment when he saw Komui, before he turned his head and said a few silent words to Wong, who was right behind him and now nodded and left. He stepped closer and Komui made room for him. Bak’s hair was tied up with an ornate clasp, which was probably worth more than everything Komui had ever owned in his entire life.  
  
“You’re beautiful.” The words stumbled out of his mouth before he had even a chance to wonder, how inappropriate his behaviour was. But it was the truth. Bak wasn’t handsome right now, he was beautiful, and Komui’s heart throbbed wildly in his chest.  
  
Bak paused for a moment and darted a short unreadable look at him, before he opened the door and stepped inside. Komui followed him and his eyes wandered over his ornate robe.  
  
“Your sister is in the Headquarters, right?” Bak asked all of a sudden and Komui, caught by surprise, looked at him.  
  
“You know about Lenalee?”  
  
Bak opened the clasp and his long hair spilled over his shoulders. “I listen,” he only answered and examined him. “I set everything in motion. You’re leaving tomorrow.”  
  
Komui looked at him with his mouth agape and Bak combed with his fingers through his hair and spoke on after a moment. “You’re taking Yuu with you. He can’t stay here. You’re going to meet General Tiedoll in Germany and afterwards you’ll start to work in the Headquarters.”  
  
Komui swallowed and sat down on his bed. Too many thoughts raged through his head, until they were all drowned out by Lenalee’s laughter. He looked up and couldn’t stop himself from tearing up. “I’m going to see Lenalee,” he whispered and Bak nodded. “Thank you,” he choked out and inhaled deeply in an attempt to regain his composure.  
  
Bak smiled at him and took off his robe, piece by piece, exposing the marks of the last days. Bruised knees, reddened palms, pale skin. “I tried to set your transfer up months ago, but everybody wants to go to the Headquarters. At least it finally worked out, even though too late for my taste,” he said evenly and examined the robe in his hands, before he folded it carefully. “The travel is going to be tough,” he spoke on. “Yuu’s traumatized and doesn’t talk, aside from screaming himself awake at night.” He frowned softly and sat down next to Komui to take off the ornate silk shoes. He now wore only pants, which were plainer than the rest of the robe. “I hope the change will do him good.”  
  
Komui’s smile slowly disappeared. “What… what did exactly happen?” he asked after a moment and Bak was very silent for a while, before he started to talk, eyes everywhere but on Komui’s face. About dead exorcists, two children reborn in darkness, euthanasia, endless rage and a lone survivor. Komui listened in silence, feeling sicker with each of his words.  
  
“And now he can’t even look at me without throwing furniture, because I look so much like my father,” he said finally and squeezed his eyes shut. “I… I can’t believe what they have done.” He got up and started to pace, up and down. “All Zu Mei can say is that they hadn’t a choice et cetera.” He stopped in front of his wardrobe and took out a dark shirt and pants. Komui casted his eyes down, when Bak slipped out of his pants and looked away until he was fully dressed. “I… Don’t understand me wrong. I want to have them back. I would do anything, but… how could they?” Bak started to walk once more and Komui got up. “I’m _so_ disappointed. In all of them, especially in my mother. _How_ could they? How can _anybody_ do something like that?” He stopped and looked at Komui, face twisting in anger and grief. Komui stepped closer and laid his hands on his arms.  
  
“Come with me,” he said and pulled him close. “Yuu isn’t the only one, who can’t stay here.”  
  
Bak was caught by surprise, but only for a moment. Then he started to laugh, but there wasn’t any joy in his voice. “Komui, I’m the Branch Chief _and_ the Head of the Clan. I’m not going to leave.”  
  
“Zu Mei,” Komui started, but Bak interrupted him immediately.  
  
“Zu Mei isn’t the Head of the Clan and he’s going to spend his days in the kitchen from now on. This can never happen again. _Never_. I’m not going anywhere.” He stared at Komui, light brown eyes at the same time spilling over and ablaze, and Komui returned his look, curling his hands around his thin arms.  
  
“Then let me stay for a few more days,” he asked softly and his hands wandered up, until they were on Bak’s wet cheeks.  
  
The fire in his eyes died down and he leaned against him. “Your sister,” was all he said and then he stepped back. “It’s time to say goodbye, Komui.”  
  
Komui looked at him, at the same time deliriously happy, because he was finally going to see Lenalee, after all this time, and devastated. “I thought you were an asshole.” The words left his mouth on their own and Bak raised his brows in surprise, before he started to smile confusedly.  
  
“What?”  
  
Komui didn’t smile. “I didn’t like you.” He did a few steps towards the door, kneading his hands and eyes roaming restlessly through the room. Bak’s smile disappeared as fast as it had emerged and now he looked at him with a frown. “But I got used to you. Running everywhere, talking a mile a minute, thinking about too many things all at once. Working hard and listening carefully. Your smile. Bak,” he added and stopped. “I… Bak.”  
  
They looked at each other for another long moment and Komui finally understood in the entire extent that it was over. That he would leave and they wouldn’t see each other, at least for months, probably years. No more chasing after too fast short legs, shared looks and sometimes smiles, glinting brown eyes and dimples. It was time to say goodbye.  
  
Bak seemed to think the same, because his breath was too fast, just like Komui’s. Too many thoughts, hearts throbbing against their ribcages, eyes jumping over parted lips and finally Komui couldn’t endure it any longer and stumbled towards him. Bak curled his one hand into his shoulder, the other into his hair. Komui wrapped an arm around him and picked him up and finally their lips met, like Komui had imagined since the day Bak suddenly had stood over him, hair and clothes billowing and hand bleeding. The kiss was all at once. Hectic and soft, clumsy and slow, desperate and in the end short, because Bak started to move and pushed their faces apart.  
  
“Go,” he said breathlessly, eyes full of pain, and as soon as his feet were back on the ground he fled to the other side of the room. “Komui, leave.”  
  
“Bak.” Komui wanted to step closer, take him into his arms, push him onto the mattress, kiss him, reach into his hair, bathe in the scent of tea and something sweet, but Bak shook his head, eyes flitting over his face and through the room, and fingernails rammed into his shirt.  
  
“Komui, you have to go,” he said and his voice cracked. “I can’t.”  
  
“Bak,” Komui repeated and that was the moment he started to shout.  
  
“I can’t!” Breath and movements erratic. “I can’t. I’m the Head of the Clan and of the Branch. I’m going to marry a distant cousin in a few years. I’m never going to leave the Branch. And you have your sister and she’s waiting for you. Komui, we _can’t_!”  
  
Komui leaned against the wall and laid a hand over his face, because it was true. Everything was true. He had to leave and every second he stayed was another second his sister was all alone and scared. He dropped his hand and looked at Bak, who stared at him with eyes too wide.  
  
“Goodbye, Komui,” he whispered and Komui had no words. And so he left. He managed to pull himself together until he pushed the door of the restroom open and then he fell apart. Sitting on the closed lid, face hidden behind his hands and eyes spilling over. Even Lenalee’s smile didn’t manage to outshine the image of Bak’s pained face.

  


In the morning he left together with Yuu, who alternated between numbness and burning rage, without turning back. Bak was the only one of his co-workers, who didn’t show up to see him off.  
  
Komui tried to be angry, but without any success.

  


  


  


“Oh, hell no.”  
  
Komui looked up in surprise and examined Reever, who noticed his gaze and placed a hand over his headset.  
  
“Everyone and their mother walks through the Ark,” he whispered and grimaced, before taking his hand away. “I’m not giving you the permission to enter,” he said sternly, but like so often he was ignored.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” a voice resonated and Komui faltered, before he got up. “I’m the Branch Chief and the Head of the Chang Clan.” He added something in Chinese and Komui clearly heard Wong laughing. Reever sighed and leaned back.  
  
“Can I tell him to fuck off?” He looked long-sufferingly at Komui, who started to laugh.  
  
“Yeah, but we both know that it won’t stop him.”  
  
He left and walked quickly through corridors and halls, while his heart bounced joyously in his chest. He arrived just in time to see Bak stepping out of the Ark.  
  
He had seen Bak in the last years only a handful of times in person, but they had never stopped talking to each other on a regular basis. Komui had shared so many of his worries with Bak, who was nowadays a little less on the fast lane, but still liked to leap from one topic to the next, often thinking just a hint too fast for Komui. Sometimes they talked every night, sometimes not in weeks, because both of them were busy. Bak barely talked ever about his parents, but sometimes he told Komui of his nightmares. Blood, the smell of copper, a gate, which won’t open. And Komui listened without saying anything, because that was what Bak needed. Somebody, who listened. About Zu Mei’s decreasing health, the sudden death of the woman he was supposed to marry a few years ago, the scars on his palms, which never completely stopped hurting. And Komui talked about Lenalee, the many bereavements, his constant struggle with Central. Bak was a good listener and made Komui laugh nearly every time with his crude comments about their superiors, always jumping from German to Chinese to English and back to German.  
  
And sometimes, only ever when both of them were in bed, Komui trying to sleep and Bak trying to wake up, they shared soft words, always in Chinese and whispered. Often innocent and fond, sometimes the latter and not the former, but always silent. The few times they had seen each other in person in the last years had always ended in the quarters of one of them, hidden under the blanket, sweet words whispered into ears and hair, fingers curling into skin and lips fluttering over necks and shoulders.  
  
The last time had been nearly two years ago and sometimes Komui wondered, why they did this to each other, why they didn’t gave up because of distance and war, but then he heard Bak laughing or examined the photo he had hidden in the topmost drawer of his nightstand.  
  
Bak stepped out of the Ark and a wave of affection sloshed over Komui. Bak’s hair was even shorter than before, his shoulders less slim than so many years ago and his eyes as bright. He looked around and then spotted Komui, who raised a hand and smiled at him.  
  
“Hello Bak-chan,” he greeted him still smiling, while Bak stepped closer and examined him from head to toe.  
  
“Is it just me or do you look kind of shitty?” he answered, ruffled the hair on the back of his head and just walked past him. Komui laughed and rolled his eyes, before turning around to follow him.  
  
“I didn’t sleep a lot in the last time,” he replied and caught up to him. Bak looked up to him and his light eyes were glinting. “How about you accompany me to my meeting and afterwards we go to my room?” he added a lot more silent and now Bak started to smile.  
  
“I would love to.” His voice was softer than before, but only until he spotted Reever. “Oh my, he looks even worse than you.”  
  
“Hello Bak,” Reever greeted him through his teeth and Komui laughed once more.  
  
They locked eyes and Bak joined in.

**Author's Note:**

> Scheiße = Shit  
> Verdammt nochmal = dammit  
> Mein Junge = My boy  
> Did I forget anything?
> 
> As you can see I had to change the timeline a little, because dumb me forgot while writing how long the siblings were separated. Well.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading!


End file.
